The hardest part of a player winning the Gold Glove Award seems to have less to do with his actual fielding statistics than it does convincing the voters he’s more deserving than the incumbent.

Historically, at least, that’s been the pattern of the voters, comprised of the league’s managers and coaches who, more often than not, are comfortable sticking with past award winners in favor of crowning a new one Gold Glove worthy.

That’s why Brandon Phillips, the 2011 NL Gold Glove Award winner at second base, is the only thing standing in the way of Darwin Barney winning his first, and much deserved, Rawlings Gold Glove Award this season (I’ll touch on the statistical comparison a bit later).

Now, that’s not to say Phillips or any Gold Glove winners of the past shouldn’t have won in consecutive seasons. But in researching the history of Gold Glove Award winners I confirmed it’s nearly a given that once a player wins gold, he’ll almost certainly win it again.

In Barney’s case, I researched the Gold Glove Award winners at second base dating back to 1973 when Joe Morgan won his first of five consecutive Gold Gloves.

Davey Lopes eventually snatched the award away from Morgan in 1978 only to be outdone by Manny Trillo the following season, who in turn won the award in three out of the next four seasons.

In 1983 it was Ryno’s turn. He won nine consecutive Gold Gloves before Jose Lind broke the streak in 1992.